# Why would this woman and baby have died?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 3, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241 "2013-10-03T02:02:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TashaKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d26b3c/32.png) [@TashaKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TashaKitty)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241/1 "2013-10-03T02:02:53Z")

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I was reading this story on DailyMail:

[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2441971/Mother-gives-birth-just-hours-discovering-pregnant-SECOND-time.html](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2441971/Mother-gives-birth-just-hours-discovering-pregnant-SECOND-time.html)

It says:

"Again, Kayleigh was suffering from backache, and after arriving at the University Hospital of North Durham, found she was 8cm dilated and about to give birth.

The placenta had dried and if the pregnancy had been left undetected for just a few more days, both Kayleigh and Lucy would have died."

It doesn’t say WHY they would have died, though. I can understand why the baby would have died, since her only form of nourishment (the placenta) was drying up, but why would the mother have died? Would they have died at the same time or would the mother have died weeks later as a result of the baby rotting inside her or something?

I’m rather fascinated by this so I’m hoping somebody has the answer(s).

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**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241/2 "2013-10-03T02:37:19Z")

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> [@TashaKitty](#):
>
> I was reading this story on DailyMail:
> 
> The placenta had dried and if the pregnancy had been left undetected for just a few more days, both Kayleigh and Lucy would have died."
> 
> It doesn’t say WHY they would have died, though.

Its only a risk of mum dying.  
Of course she may have expelled a dead baby and lived.

Mum is at risk of dying from blood loss, septicaemia, and other ways (blood pressure, blood clots, anaphalaxis… reactions to the chemicals coming out of a dead baby.)

Here’s an actual ,recent, case of not having a fast abortion when there is a problem with baby.

[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/9679840/Pregnant-woman-dies-in-Ireland-after-being-denied-an-abortion.html](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/ireland/9679840/Pregnant-woman-dies-in-Ireland-after-being-denied-an-abortion.html)

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241/3 "2013-10-03T02:47:30Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> “The placenta had dried and if the pregnancy had been left undetected for just a few more days, both Kayleigh and Lucy would have died.”

I would add a guess that this quote reflects a clueless reporter’s interpretation of what happens in [placental abruption.](http://umm.edu/health/medical/pregnancy/labor-and-delivery/placenta-abruptio)

Moral: don’t get your medical information from the Daily Mail.

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**Author:** ![The\_Hairy\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@The\_Hairy\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hairy_One)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241/4 "2013-10-03T20:55:36Z")

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Moral: don’t get ANY information from the Daily Mail!

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-this-woman-and-baby-have-died/670241/5 "2013-10-06T02:55:40Z")

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> [@The\_Hairy\_One](#):
>
> Moral: don’t get ANY information from the Daily Mail!

But chuckles are perfectly fine.